Attitude Determination Research Articles

Surgical technique for mitral valve repair in dogs using a novel method to anchor artificial chordae tendineae with emphasis on key intraoperative decision points

ObjectivesSurgical options for mitral valve repair in dogs are unstandardized and influenced by various factors. This study describes a four-point surgical technique (MI-4) to reduce mitral regurgitation and provides data from a study of dogs with 12 months of follow up.MethodsTwenty-five dogs with stages C or D mitral insufficiency were treated by one of two surgeons using the MI-4 procedure at Ueno no Mori Animal Hospital between October 2021 and May 2023. The surgical technique comprised: (I) determination of the valve annulus dimensions by measuring between the trigones, (II) triad-anchored chordae tendinea reconstruction, (III) determination of the appropriate position and number of chordae tendineae on the leaflets, and (IV) appropriate height determination. The regurgitation percentage was measured using B-mode color Doppler flow in the atrium in the four-chamber left long-axis view.ResultsThere were no intraoperative complications, and 23, 23, and 18 dogs were successfully re-evaluated at 1, 6, and 12 months, respectively (5 dogs have not yet reached the 12-month follow-up point). The regurgitation percentage decreased from 73.0% (interquartile range, 58.1–81.5%) preoperatively to 2.1% (0.0–8.8%), 4.6% (0.1–10.8), and 1.3% (0.0–7.1) at 1, 6, and 12 months postoperatively, respectively. All surviving dogs improved clinically.ConclusionThe MI-4 surgical technique was performed in dogs with mitral valve insufficiency with no significant complications. The surgery reduced the regurgitation percentage postoperatively, with benefits seen at least 12 months after surgery.

Deciphering gene specific molecular characterization and partial gene sequence for combined resistance to tomato leaf curl virus (ToLCV) (Ty-1, Ty-2 and Ty-3), fusarium wilt (I-2) and root- knot nematode (Mi-1) in selected fresh market breeding line of tomato (Solanum lycopersicom L.).

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is a widely cultivated crop in tropical regions, but its production is often hampered by significant losses attributed to diseases like tomato leaf curl virus (ToLCV), fusarium wilt and root-knot nematode. This study employed an integrated approach utilizing both co-dominant and dominant SCAR markers, selected for specific resistance genes (ToLCV-Ty-1, Ty-2, Ty-2, Fusarium wilt (Race-2)-I-2, and Root-knot nematode-Mi-1. These markers with their specific gene of interest were used to screen the ten fresh market breeding lines of tomato. The P625 marker played a pivotal role in the identification process of Ty-3 alleles and effectively distinguishing between Ty-3a and Ty-3. I-2/5 (Fusarium wilt I-2), and Mi-23 (Root-knot nematode Mi-1) effectively identified and discriminated between heterozygous and homozygous states of specific genes. All resistant lines and a susceptible line for ToLCV (Ty-1, Ty-2, Ty-3), Fusarium wilt ((Race-2)- I-2) and Root-knot nematode underwent sequencing using specific primer pairs through the Sanger dideoxy technique. The resulting nucleotide sequences were aligned utilizing MEGA7 bioinformatic software and subjected to nucleotide BLAST in the NCBI database to determine sequence per cent identity and query cover, facilitating comparison with other submitted sequences. The determination of genomic positions for these nucleotide sequences may enable researchers to cartographically pinpoint the locations of genetic variations within the genome.

Factors Affecting the Disaster Attitudes of Volunteers in a Non-Governmental Organization: Path Analysis.

This study aimed to examine the effect of volunteers' health behaviors and disaster preparedness on disaster attitudes. The sample comprised 378 volunteers aged 18 to 30 who were affiliated with the largest volunteer network in a non-governmental organization in Turkey. In the study, data were collected with Descriptive Information Form, the Disaster Preparedness Scale, and the Disaster Attitude Scale. The mean total score of the participants in the Disaster Attitude Scale was 3.06 ± 0.73 (1-5). The mean total scale score of the participants in the Disaster Preparedness Scale was 33.21 ± 8.02 (13-54). Notably, factors such as using alcohol, the status of general health checkups status, and scores on the physical protection and assistance subscales the Disaster Preparedness Scale were significantly associated with the Disaster Attitude Scale total score (P < 0.05). In this study, regular general health check-ups, alcohol use in general, and physical protection and assistance sub-scales are critical determinants of volunteers' attitudes toward disasters. The disaster volunteers, health professionals particularly nurses, should develop training programs to enhance volunteers' disaster attitudes focusing on promoting disaster preparedness and positive health behaviors in both governmental and non-governmental organizations.

Alevin-fry-atac enables rapid and memory frugal mapping of single-cell ATAC-seq data using virtual colors for accurate genomic pseudoalignment.

Ultrafast mapping of short reads to transcriptomic and metagenomic references via lightweight mapping techniques such as pseudoalignment has demonstrated success in substantially accelerating several types of analyses without much loss in accuracy compared to alignment-based approaches. The application of pseudoalignment to large reference sequences - like the genome - is, however, not trivial, due to the large size of the references or "targets" (i.e. chromosomes) and the presence of repetitive sequences within an individual reference sequence. This can lead to multiple matching locations for a -mer within a single reference, which in turn can lead to false positive mappings and incorrect reference assignments for a read when the colors across the -mer matches for a read are aggregated. Even when the read is determined to map to the appropriate reference, the increased occurrence of -mer multi-matches within a reference can prevent the determination of the correct approximate position of the read, which is often critical in applications that map short reads to the genome.

R&D of the cluster finding algorithm for CMS iRPC detector

The Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) experiment will undergo phase-II upgrade to enhance the capacity of detectors in the High-Luminosity Large Hadron Collider era. An important extension involves the installation of the Improved Resistive Plate Chambers (iRPC) in the most forward part of the endcap muon system. The iRPC detector addresses the efficiency drop experienced by the current CMS trigger system for single muon triggers in the high pseudorapidity region. It features a double-ended read-out method, allowing the determination of the hit position along the strip using the time difference between signals from both ends. This feature provides precise spatial information for clustering. To utilize this feature and integrate iRPC cluster information into the CMS trigger system, this paper proposes a 2-Dimensional (2D) cluster-finding algorithm. This algorithm provides the 2D coordinates to CMS trigger system, with each cluster being timestamped to reduce time ambiguity in endcap trajectory reconstruction. The proposed algorithm was implemented in the firmware of the iRPC Back-End Electronics and evaluated using a dedicated cosmic muon setup. The results show a position precision of 2.55 cm and an algorithm efficiency better than 99%, demonstrating the algorithm's potential to improve muon detection and trigger efficiency in the CMS endcap region.

Investigating the determinants of Singaporean citizens' attitudes toward marine litter pollution control: A policy acceptance model

The problem of marine litter has caused significant threat to marine environment and human health, and has attracted wide attention. It is estimated that the weight of plastic waste in the oceans will exceed that of fish by 2050. Since a large part of marine debris originate from land-based domestic waste, developing relevant policies to manage the disposal of domestic garbage can effectively prevent and control marine litter pollution. Public attitudes toward relevant environmental policies will affect their implementation and final outcomes. However, there is little research on public attitudes toward environmental policies. Therefore, this study draws on the framework of Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to explore the factors that affect public attitudes toward policy, the affect theory, trust theory and habit are integrated into the model. An online survey for Singaporean residents was conducted, 450 questionnaires were collected and 417 of which were used for data analysis. The results suggest that 13 of the 14 hypotheses presented in the model are accepted. Perceived ease of implementation (β = 0.365), perceived policy effectiveness (β = 0.341) and trust in government policy (β = 0.319) are the main factors that directly affect citizens' attitude toward environmental policy. Perceived policy effectiveness is positively affected by the perceived ease of implementation (β = 0.457), while trust in government policies is positively influenced by both perceived ease of implementation (β = 0.142) and perceived policy effectiveness (β = 0.373). The model showed good explanatory power, explaining 74.6 % of the variance in public attitude toward policy. In this study, a relatively complete model for predicting public acceptance of marine litter prevention policies is proposed for the first time. The model presented in this paper also has the potential to be applied to evaluate policies of various scenarios.

Attitudes in times of crisis: An analysis of individual determinants towards immigration in the Czech Republic

AbstractThis paper empirically assesses public attitudes towards immigration amid a simultaneity of political and economic crises, offering critical insights into the effects of economic determinants on perceived cultural and economic threats posed by immigration in the Czech Republic. The importance of cultural determinants of attitudes towards immigration gained prominence in the context of growing nationalism and ethnic conflicts. Conversely, some argue that material vulnerabilities remain central to understanding anti‐Immigration sentiments, especially in times of economic crises. This paper challenges separating economic and cultural concerns, highlighting how economic vulnerabilities shape cultural perceptions. The study utilises unique data, delving beyond conventional measures that explore economic determinants and looking into more granular measures of economic vulnerability. Our findings suggest that economic drivers remain pivotal in shaping attitudes towards migration. In addition, we show that the effects of economic drivers can also manifest as cultural concerns.

Multidimensional optimization-improved grid star map recognition algorithm

In high-precision celestial navigation, star map recognition algorithms are crucial. We identified limitations in the classical grid star map recognition algorithm (CGSMRA) concerning star sorting method, selection strategy, scoring criterion, and screening mechanisms. To address these, we developed a multidimensional optimization-improved grid star map recognition algorithm (MOIGSMRA). We evaluated MOIGSMRA through five experiments: template matching efficiency, companion star recognition, recognition accuracy, attitude determination accuracy, and overall performance. Compared to CGSMRA, MOIGSMRA demonstrated superior results. This study offers a method to optimize attitude determination algorithms for star sensors and provides a theoretical and experimental foundation for improving star recognition accuracy.

How COVID-19 has Impacted American Attitudes Toward China: A Study on Twitter

ABSTRACT Past research has studied social determinants of attitudes toward foreign countries. Confounded by potential endogeneity biases due to unobserved factors or reverse causality, the causal impact of these factors on public opinion is usually difficult to establish. Using social media data, we leverage the suddenness of the COVID-19 pandemic to examine whether a major global event has causally changed Americans’ views of another country. We collate a database of 297 million posts on the social media platform Twitter about China or COVID-19 up to June 2020, and we take tweeting about COVID-19 as a proxy for an individual’s awareness of COVID-19. Using regression discontinuity and difference-in-difference estimation, we reveal that awareness of COVID-19 causes a sharp rise in anti-China attitudes. Our work has implications for understanding how self-interest affects policy preference and how Americans view foreign countries.

Determination of Attitudes and Knowledge Levels of Pediatricians about Pediatric Medicolegal Problems in Turkey

Objective: In recent years, allegations of medical errors in Turkey have been increasing. These allegations are generally concentrated on the issue of consent. Since most children are medically and legally incapable of making their own decisions on consent issues and the decision is made by the legal representative instead, various legal and ethical dilemmas arise. Pediatrics ranks first in lawsuits filed for medical errors. In our study, we aimed to evaluate the awareness of forensic legal issues among pediatricians. Materials and Methods: Our study is prospective and cross-sectional. Participants were asked 25 questions based on 14 possible case examples. They were asked to give a score between 1 and 5 points for each question about their feeling of adequacy regarding the information, consent, documents, and procedures that should be done according to these cases. Mann‒Whitney U and Kruskal‒Wallis tests were used statistically; p&lt;0.05 was considered significant. Results: Two hundred nine pediatricians answered the questions. Sixty-six percent of the participants were working in tertiary care hospitals. Pediatricians were undecided about feeling adequate regarding the necessary information, consent, documents, and procedures to be performed for children (3.19/5) and felt inadequate when facing the refusal of treatment (2.77/5). There was no statistically significant difference between feeling competent in terms of title and professional seniority. Only 2% of the pediatricians stated that children under 12 years of age have the power of discernment, and only 7% stated that children over 15 years of age do not have the power of discernment. Conclusion: The general conclusion we reached in our study is that pediatricians do not feel adequate even concerning basic legal issues such as information, consent, and refusal of treatment. Therefore, they need to gain knowledge of these issues. For this reason, educational activities such as adding legal education to the medical school curriculum, legal training for pediatricians, and regular seminars effectively eliminate the lack of knowledge on this issue and prevent lawsuits.

Adverbs and adverbials in contemporary Arabic syntax: A phase-based account

Abstract In generative syntax, two major types of proposals – syntax-oriented and semantics-oriented proposals – have been used to examine adverbs and adverbials. Despite these proposals explaining the remarkable properties of adverb positioning, this class of words is heterogeneous and problematic in terms of their displacement. This study adopts scopal theories and proposes a partial semantic analysis using phases to describe adverbial positioning in Modern Standard Arabic. We argue that the semantic scope and the modification domain are the main determinants of adverbial position, which can best be analysed in terms of phases. In this regard, adverbials are classified into lower and higher adverbials. Lower adverbials have a narrow semantic scope and modification domain. They include subject-oriented and verb-oriented modifiers and freely adjoin the vP layer. Higher adverbials have a wider scope and modification domain. They include discourse-oriented modifiers and tend to attach to the Complementiser Phrase layer. In terms of their hierarchical order, discourse-oriented adverbials are higher than subject-oriented and verb-oriented modifiers in the articulated clause structure. This conclusion suggests that scopal theories along with language-specific rules may provide a unified generalization and straightforward account of the cross-linguistic distribution of adverbs and adverbials.

Determinants of knowledge, attitude, and practice towards aflatoxin contamination in food and aflatoxin biomarker levels among healthy Malaysian adults

Determinants of knowledge, attitude, and practice towards aflatoxin contamination in food and aflatoxin biomarker levels among healthy Malaysian adults

Determination of artificial intelligence literacy and attitudes towards artificial intelligence of teachers working with gifted students and examining them according to some variables

This research aimed to determine the level of artificial intelligence literacy and attitudes towards artificial intelligence of teachers working with gifted students and to examine the results according to some variables. The study was conducted with the participation of 107 science and art center (BİLSEM) teachers selected by convenience sampling method. Data were collected using the Artificial Intelligence Literacy Scale and the General Attitude Towards Artificial Intelligence Scale. The findings show that teachers generally have high levels of artificial intelligence literacy and attitudes towards artificial intelligence. In gender comparisons, it was found that male teachers had higher AI literacy and attitudes than female teachers. Other variables such as age, professional experience, working time in BİLSEM, education level and branch did not have a significant effect on artificial intelligence literacy and attitude. As a result, it was observed that the knowledge and attitudes of teachers working with gifted students towards artificial intelligence were generally positive, but there were gender differences. Therefore, it is recommended that teachers' access to artificial intelligence training and professional development opportunities should be increased and especially female teachers' knowledge and attitudes towards technology should be improved.

Hirshfeld Atom Refinement (HAR) and Complementary Bonding Analysis of Lithium m-Terphenylhydridoborates Containing B-H⋅⋅⋅Li Linkages.

The synthesis and characterization of the lithium m-terphenylhydridoborates [Li(2,6-Mes2C6H3)BH3]2 (1), Li(2,6-Mes2C6H3)2BH2 (2) and Li(OEt2)(2,6-Mes2C6H3)2BH2 (3) are reported. Hirshfeld Atom Refinement (HAR) of the experimentally obtained molecular structures by single-crystal X-ray crystallography allowed the determination of the exact positions of the hydrogen atoms. The bond situations of the various B-H⋅⋅⋅Li linkages were investigated by a complementary bonding analysis using various methods including atoms in molecules (AIM), electron localizability indicator (ELI-D), non-covalent interaction (NCI) index and the compliance matrix.

Research on intelligent cutting control technology of transverse moving machine for large cross-section roadheader

With the continuous development of the coal mine industry in our country, the cross-section of the roadway is getting larger and larger. The widely used EBZ series roadheader cannot complete the roadway cutting operation with a large cross-section at one time, so it usually needs to move the equipment left and right to complete all its cutting tasks. This paper studies the intelligent control technology of large cross-section roadway cutting, which mainly solves the positioning and attitude determination technology of roadheader in the large cross-section, and offers an accurate shape-cutting control technology and a path planning technology using a lateral moving machine. This paper proposes to combine the signals of laser sensor and fiber-optic inertial navigation system to form a combined positioning and attitude determination system, so as to make use of the advantages and avoid the disadvantages of their respective systems, and improve the accuracy of roadheader positioning and attitude determination. A swing kinematics model of the cutting arm is established, based on which the precise motion control of the first roadway section cutting and the second roadway section cutting can be realized. A key parameter calculation model of roadheader lateral moving machine is put forward to calculate the operation parameters for roadheader lateral moving machine path planning. Finally, the experimental research on intelligent cutting control technology of large cross-section roadheader is carried out in 12307 intelligent heading face of Wangjialing Coal Mine. The results show that the positioning error of the combined positioning and attitude determination system proposed in this paper is between 50-90 mm in the X-axis direction and between 25-45 mm in the Y-axis direction. The average attitude measurement error of heading angle is between 0.5 and 1.5°. This makes the technology appropriate for engineering use. The studied cutting control system achieves a cutting error of 25-50 mm for the first section, and a cutting error of 40-90 mm for the complete section. The complete section cutting error meets the ±100 mm cutting error requirement required in engineering. The intelligent cutting control technology of the lateral moving machine of the large-section tunnel boring machine studied in this paper can realize accurate cutting of the large-section tunnel of 5.6 meters. The research results of this paper provide a reference for the intelligent construction of heading faces.

A two-stage deep learning architecture for detection global coastal and offshore submesoscale ocean eddy using SDGSAT-1 multispectral imagery

Submesoscale ocean eddies are essential oceanic phenomenon that control and influence the ocean energy cascade. Most existing eddy detection methods rely on low-resolution satellite altimeter data, which fail to capture submesoscale ocean features and oceanographic phenomena in shallow water. Introducing high-resolution multispectral data can alleviate these problems, yet it has been largely overlooked. A generalized and efficient deep learning architecture that combines developments in deep learning with Sustainable Development Goals Science Satellite 1 (SDGSAT-1) multispectral data from earth observations offers a potential pathway for more fine detection of ocean eddies. Considering that oceanic eddy exhibits spatially sparse characteristics on high-resolution remote sensing scenes, the oceanic eddy detection (OED) model suitable for global coastal and offshore regions is divided into two stages: eddy information judgment and eddy position determination. Correspondingly, SDGSAT-1 multispectral data from November 2021 to December 2022 were carried out to construct two submesoscale eddy datasets for training and testing each stage model. The union validation of multiple metrics demonstrates that the proposed OED model and its stage models achieve state-of-the-art (SOTA) performance, especially in optically complex coastal and offshore waters. We applied the model to real-world scenes captured by SDGSAT-1 in 2023, and found that the detected results were mainly located at the water depth below 200 m. The authenticity of the recognition results is validated using sea surface chlorophyll concentration, temperature, and topography data, indicating that the OED model has achieved remarkable effectiveness under various sea conditions. In addition, the temporal distributions and statistical characteristics of detected submesoscale eddies are analyzed over an extended period (November 2021 to November 2023). Finally, HISEA-2, Landsat-9, and Sentinel-2 served as testing grounds to validate the generalization of the proposed methodology, with experimental results demonstrating that the OED model possesses significant developmental potential for multi-source remote sensing data. This paper presents a comprehensive deep learning framework for the global-scale detection of submesoscale eddies and underscores the pivotal role of high-resolution multispectral imagery as an innovative data source for global coastal and offshore eddy identification.

Knowledge attitude and practice towards foreign body aspiration management among kindergarten teachers in south-west Amhara, rural Ethiopia.

Aspiration of a foreign body (FB) is the act of unintentionally ingesting food, drink, or typically items. In every country on earth, it is the main cause of death. Aspirations of a foreign body in kids are typically emergency situations and account for a significant part of accidental fatalities. Problems are made worse by a lack of community understanding about foreign body aspiration. To assess the level and determinants of knowledge, attitude, and practice towards the first aid management of foreign body aspiration and airway obstruction among kindergarten teachers in northwest Amhara, Ethiopia, 2022. An institution-based cross-sectional study was undergone on kindergarten teachers. The result of this study showed that 78.4% of the participants had good knowledge or scored equal or more than the mean score. The total score of the attitude was calculated by rating the respondent's correct-full responses on the attitude questions; a total of 337 (93.4%) answered all the six questions above the mean level of 5.98, indicating that 93.4% of the respondents have a positive attitude. In the present study, 78.4% of kindergarten teachers demonstrated good knowledge. In contrast, a study conducted in Addis Ababa, and Ethiopia, revealed that only 37% of participants exhibited good knowledge regarding foreign body aspiration management, significantly lower than the current study's findings. Additionally, the same study found that 93% of kindergarten teachers held a positive attitude toward foreign body aspiration management, aligning with the results of a cross-sectional study in Addis Ababa, and Ethiopia, where the attitude score was 95.1%. The result of this research shows that majority participants of this study have good knowledge and attitude towards foreign body aspiration management, but poor practice about it.

Applicability of Small and Low-Cost Magnetic Sensors to Geophysical Exploration.

In the past few decades, there has been a notable technological advancement in geophysical sensors. In the case of magnetometry, several sensors were used, having the common feature of being miniaturized and lightweight, thus idoneous to be carried by UAVs in drone-borne magnetometric surveys. A common feature is that their sensitivity ranges from 0.1 to about 200 nT, thus not comparable to that of optically pumped, standard fluxgate or even proton magnetometers. However, their low cost, volume and weight remain very interesting features of these sensors. In fact, such sensors have the common feature of being very inexpensive, so new ways of making surveys using many of these sensors could be devised, in addition to the possibility, even with limited resources, of creating gradiometers by combining two or more of them. In this paper, we explore the range of applicability of small tri-axial magnetometers commonly used for attitude determination in several devices. We compare the results of surveys performed with standard professional geophysical instruments with those obtained using these sensors and find that in the presence of strongly magnetized sources, they succeeded in identifying the main anomalies.

An Improved Low-Cost Dual-Antenna GNSS Dynamic Attitude Determination Method in Complex Environments

GNSS attitude determination has been widely adopted due to its high efficiency, absence of cumulative errors, and ease of installation. However, practical navigation and attitude determination systems often rely on low-cost receivers that struggle with substantial multipath effects, frequent cycle slips, and satellite signal loss, significantly impairing attitude determination accuracy in challenging urban environments. To address this issue, this contribution proposes a constrained dynamic prediction model (C-Dynamics), which enables more accurate initial coordinates and thereby increases the effectiveness of the constrained LAMBDA (CLAMBDA) technique. To evaluate the practical performance of C-Dynamics, two sets of real-world data collected from a vehicle platform were analyzed. The results demonstrate that C-Dynamics significantly enhances the accuracy of initial coordinate estimations across various environments. Compared with the lambda method, the CLAMBDA method + C-Dynamics method (CLAMBDA+CD) improves the fixing rate in the urban environment by 5.6%, and the accuracy of the heading angle, pitch angle, and baseline length improved by 66%, 70.9%, and 84.2%, respectively. Moreover, in challenging high obstruction environments, the fixing rate increased by 43.5%, while the accuracy of heading angle, pitch angle, and baseline length improved by 76.4%, 69.2%, and 94%, respectively. The proposed algorithm effectively addresses the low fixing rate and insufficient accuracy of the LAMBDA method in high obstruction environments and holds practical value for widespread adoption in the mass market.

Habitat dimensionality and feeding strategies but not temperature as determinants of body size-trophic structure relationship in a marine food web.

Disentangling the determinants of trophic structure is central to ecology. The capacity to capture subjugate and consume a prey (i.e. gape limitation) is a relevant limitation to acquire energy for most organisms, especially those in smaller size ranges. This generates a size hierarchy of trophic positions in which large organisms consume small ones. Body size is tightly correlated to gape limitation and explains a large fraction of variance in the body size-trophic position relationship. However, a considerable fraction of variance still remains to be explained. Consumer search space dimensionality (2D or 3D) and feeding strategies, temperature and the size structure of primary producers can alter the trophic structure, but tests based on information from natural food webs are scarce. We generated specific predictions about the body size trophic position relationship and evaluated them using information from a subtropical South Atlantic coastal marine ecosystem: benthic realm (2D, rocky shore and sandy beach) and the pelagic realm (3D). We characterized this marine coastal food web based on stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen from 256 samples from primary producers (macroalgae and phytoplankton) to large predators (sand shark) in summer and winter. Consumer body size encompassed six orders of magnitude in weight from 10-2 to 6 × 104 g. Isotopic signal corresponded to an integration of carbon sources from basal consumers to top predators. The body size-trophic position relationship showed a linear positive association with different slopes for the benthic and pelagic environments. This implies a smaller predator prey size ratio for pelagic (3D) with respect to benthic consumers (2D) as theoretically expected. No seasonal differences were found in slopes and most of the overall variance in benthic environments was largely explained by feeding strategies of the different taxonomic groups. We provide an integrated evaluation on the role of body size, consumer search space and feeding strategy to understand the determinants of trophic position. Results demonstrate that integrating gape limitation hypothesis, the dimensionality of consumer search space and feeding strategies into a formal robust framework to understand trophic structure is feasible even in complex natural ecosystems.